What Will Long Distance Calls Look Like in the Future?

April 9, 2015

Some of you out there might remember how long distance calling used to be. A call began with the operator, a long wait, and then a callback saying that your line was connected. We have come a very long way since then and, with technology continuing to improve, it is fun to speculate what long distance calls might look like in the future. Here are a few innovations we would love to see become standard for communication devices in the coming years.

Send and Receive Holograms

The Facetime feature on iPhones allows us to see our loved ones as we converse. However, wouldn't it be great if we could see all of them - and in three dimensions to boot? Communications devices of the future will almost certainly employ holographic technology, further enhancing the sense of connection we can have with friends residing in another city or country. If you thought people using phones in movie theatres are annoying, wait until someone tries to beam their buddy into the seat beside them!

Instant Translation

We live in a global economy and that means communicating with firms overseas on a regular basis. While there is usually someone in each location fluent in a single language, that is not always the case. Imagine how convenient it would be if phones included a feature that allowed instant and fluent translations? Business could expand without the fear of language barriers, and people looking to make friends in far off countries would not have to worry about any language barriers.

Sophisticated Satellite Phones

While long distance calling is an invaluable way to stay connected with people, the quality of overseas service varies considerably between countries. Satellite phones eliminate the need to be in proximity to cell towers and they allow us to make calls from anywhere. However, even with this incredible advantage, the current batches are more like the earliest cellphones: they're bulky and basically only good for calls and text messages. Our satellite phone of the future would combine the ability to make calls from anywhere with the sleek design and advanced features of today's smartphones to create the ideal device.

No Roaming Charges

Roaming charges occur when you use your device to make calls while outside of the area designated in your mobile phone plan. If you need to make quite a few calls for business, or you just like staying in touch with friends, this can be very expensive. With the intense competition between mobile phone providers, we can see a future in which some upstart company creates a way for consumers to use their device anywhere and not have to worry about such things. As roaming charges are a good source of revenue for phone companies, there will definitely be resistance. We still think that the day will come.

If these sound too far-fetched, remember how far we have come. The clunky, brick-like cellphones of the early '90s are now the amazing smartphones of today. With the consistently innovative technological leaders in business today, there is no reason not to expect the long distance calls of the future to stay the same as time moves forward. Chances are good that these new ideas will continue the to reshape the telecommunications industry, and we can't wait to see what it will look like!